Saturday, November 29, 2008

The parents are out on separate errands, and I'm doing my laundry. Once that's done, I'll be moving the computer back into the computer room, and not long after that, my brother David will be coming by.

David's probably the kindest and most thoughtful of us three brothers, and he's giving the family a special treat today: he booked a hotel room over at Pentagon City, and will be footing the bill (I think) for all meals today and tomorrow morning. He thought the folks might need a respite from weeks of living in a disaster area, which is why he did this. As I said: very thoughtful.

The parents have done this once before, some years back; they stayed overnight at Pentagon City and walked around the complex all day, window shopping, people-watching, and just enjoying themselves like two kids who realize they have the run of the house for a short while.

After weeks of camping, I admit it'll be nice to sleep in a bed for the first time since I got home in late September. I'll be bringing along my art supplies and Philip Pullman's trilogy (almost finished); I also plan to enjoy the food court and maybe take in a movie with the family. I think that's the sort of relaxation David had in mind.

The renovators are here; they start a new project on Monday, so they're finishing up what they can today, and have even said they'll help out with the more difficult aspects of deck construction. They'll be back periodically after Monday, of course: the house is still far from finished.

But today isn't the day to think too much about that. Once David arrives around 2 or 3PM, we'll put our troubles aside for 24 hours and just... breathe.